Preparing to Apply

Università Bocconi offers the following PhD programs:

• PhD in Business Administration and Management
  (four-year program; taught in English)
  • Download the short call 
     
  • Planned study program, 2025-2026 (cycle 41°)
  • Detailed information about courses offered for 2024-2025 (cycle 40°)
    
     
• PhD in Economics and Finance
  (four-year program; taught in English)
  • Download the short call 
     
  • Planned study program, 2025-2026 (cycle 41°) 
  • Detailed information about courses offered for 2024-2025 (cycle 40°)
  • Fields of study
    
     
• PhD in Statistics and Computer Science
  (four-year program; taught in English)
  • Download the short call 
     
  • Planned study program, 2025-2026 (cycle 41°)
  • Detailed information about courses offered for 2024-2025 (cycle 40°)
    
     
• PhD in Social and Political Science
  (four-year program; taught in English)
  • Download the short call 
     
  • Planned study program, 2025-2026 (cycle 41°)
  • Detailed information about courses offered for 2024-2025 (cycle 40°)
    
     
• PhD in Legal Studies
  (three-year program; taught in English or in English and partly in Italian according to the PhD curricula)
  • Download the short call 
     
  • Planned study program, 2025-2026 (cycle 41°)
  • Detailed information about courses offered for 2024-2025 (cycle 40°)

Please note that you can apply for more than one PhD program, but it is essential that you carefully review the available programs and choose the one that is most appropriate to your academic goals. Also be aware that, should you choose to apply to more than one PhD program, you will have to submit all documents and information for each of the programs you wish to apply to.

The enrollment of the qualified candidates (see Selection Criteria) takes place under one of the following conditions: 
 

1)  with Bocconi fellowship:

1.A) based on merit
or
1.B) based on merit and financial conditions (see art. 12 of the Full Official Call) 
 

2)  with merit-based tuition waiver covering up to 100% of tuition fees 
 

3)  with payment of tuition fees. 
 

Note that all PhD students are always required to pay the current annual regional tax of € 140, whose amount may be modified by law at a later date.

The allocation of places is as follows: 
 

Besides Bocconi fellowships, there might be fellowships funded by external donors (private or public institution: e.g., Government of the Country of origin of the candidate, or Foundations):
 

• In case of “non ad personam financing” (no specific topic required for research activities), the donor signs an ad hoc agreement with Bocconi; in such case the number of Bocconi fellowships is increased before the publication of admission results; the external donor fellowship is managed as all other Bocconi fellowships (the recipient pays no tuition fees; replacement is possible in case the candidate declines the offer);
• In case of “ad personam financing”, the candidate receives the financial support directly from the external donor (the recipient has to pay tuition fees; replacement is not possible).

Applications can be submitted by candidates of any citizenship who:
- have completed or are completing their graduate studies and 
- have at least a “proven” B2 (CEFR) level of competence in English

Graduate qualifications accepted:
- Italian degrees: second level degrees ("laurea magistrale") 
- non-Italian degrees of equivalent level (e.g. level 7 European Qualification Framework) recognized by the Admission Board

Your competence in English must be shown by a recognized international English language certificate/test; in case of international test (TOEFL, IELTS) the result must be still valid (not expired). You will have to upload the English language certificate/test to the on-line application procedure (click here to check the list of recognized certificates/tests and the minimum scores required - at least a B2 CEFR level) or, if you do not have a recognized international certificate/test, you will have to self-declare in the online application procedure that you:

- are an English native speaker
- attended a University program in English
- attended a secondary school program in English (please, upload the certificate)
- passed the internal English exam in a Bocconi degree program
- have other reasons (please, specify them). 

Applicants whose Italian or non-Italian degree qualifications are still pending on the final application date, can take part in the selection for all PhD programs and will be admitted conditionally. They must be awarded the required degree by 31 October 2025, or their enrollment will be void.
Certifications of required qualifications must be produced by 10 December 2025.

For the PhDs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance and Statistics and Computer Science, the assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters*.

For the PhDs in Economics and Finance and Statistics and Computer Science, the assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

For the PhD in Business Administration and Management, the assessment criteria are as follows:
 

• a maximum of 45 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 20 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 35 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

The Admission Board may decide to conduct a brief online interview in order to get clarification about the student’s qualifications.

A minimum of 60 total points is required to be elegible for admission to all the above PhD programs.

For the PhDs in Social and Political Science and Legal Studies, the Admission Board will first evaluate the suitability of the applicants’ qualifications and, after a first step of selection, the Board will interview some candidates in order to better assess their qualifications (second step of selection).

For the PhD in Social and Political Science, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters*.

The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment. 
The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 30 points.
A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment and at least 20 points out of 30 in the interview.

The purpose of the interview is to better assess candidates’ qualifications, discuss their statement of purpose; test their aptitude for the program, ascertain their proficiency in English.

After completing the interviews, the Admission Board will rank the applicants.

For the PhD in Legal Studies, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:
 

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• research proposal (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters;
• other relevant documents (e.g. thesis’ abstract, publications)*.

The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:
 

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose, research proposal and reference letters;
• a maximum of 10 points for other relevant elements.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment.

The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 30 points.

A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment and at least 20 points out of 30 in the interview.

The purpose of the interview is to better assess applicants’ qualifications; discuss their research proposal (relevance, international approach, issues involved) and their publications, if any; test their aptitude for the program; ascertain their proficiency in English and other foreign languages (when only self-certified), and ascertain their competence in a subject of their choice, which is part of the PhD curriculum.

After completing the interviews, the Admission Board will rank the applicants. 

*Please note that financial support by external donors is not included in the assessment criteria, therefore it does not contribute to increasing the score in the ranking for admission results.

A wide range of information is needed in order to assess the applicants' strengths and potential for academic success. In particular, the following elements are considered:

• Personal curriculum: Full CV (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences);
• Academic records: transcript of exams and certification of undergraduate (6 EQF) and graduate (7 EQF) degrees awarded and final grade (if any); if the graduate program has not been completed*, an enrollment document with the full study plan , the exams taken and the grades achieved; 
   
• International Graduate Admission Tests scores: Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with date and results. These tests are not relevant for the PhD in Legal Studies. IMPORTANT: date of the test: not before 1 October 2019; GMAT/GRE score reports must be uploaded by the candidates in the online procedure:score reports sent to Bocconi University by GMAC Customer Service (GMAT) and ETS (GRE) are not accepted;
• Statement of purpose: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD programs, your research interests and professional goals; only for the PhD in Legal Studies: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD program and of your professional goals;
• Reference letters: up to three reference letters uploaded by referees appointed in the on-line application procedure. Referees can be academic (first best) or non-academic (second best);
• Research proposal (only for the PhD in Legal Studies): detailed description of research proposal coherent with one of the curricular disciplinary fields (see the short call on the website);
• Other relevant documents (maximum five) (only for the PhD in Legal Studies): e.g. abstract of the thesis, publications, other programs attended, etc.
  
  *Applicants who have not achieved a degree are allowed to apply, but they must obtain the degree by 31 October 2025, or their enrollment will be void.

All documents have to be in English, except for those regarding the academic records, which can be in Italian, and publications, which can be in any language.

In order to close the application and be evaluated, the following documents (sections: personal details, language requirements, academic records, statement of purpose, research proposal) are strictly required:

• Personal CV;
• Documentary evidence of English language competence (except English native speakers): international certification/test, university or high school studies in English, …;
• Academic records;
• Statement of purpose;
• Research proposal (only for the PhD in Legal Studies);
   
• Copy of the international passport;
• Passport format photo.

Documents of the remaining sections (e.g. GRE/GMAT) contribute to increasing your score in the final ranking, but they are not indispensable. 
 

We suggest that you download and print out the following table which lists all documentation that should be submitted. Should you need information about data and/or documents, contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it

You have to apply exclusively through the on-line application procedure which is available here from 1 October 2024. The deadline for submitting the application is 15 January 2025  at 23:59 CET (3 February 2025 at 23:59 CET for Statistics and Computer Science). This deadline is not negotiable.

Please, consult the Technical Guidelines (available here) before starting the online application procedure.
The recommended browser to apply is Google Chrome.

In order to complete your application, you will have to:

• register in order to obtain Personal ID and password; please note that Bocconi students already have the required credentials;
• enter the information in the spaces provided;
• upload some documents;
• submit the application.

For technical issues, please contact our Help Desk at: phdhelp@unibocconi.it

Should you need information about data and/or documents you need to submit, please contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it

Applicants are ranked according to merit. 

The ranking of each public competition is published on https://www.unibocconi.it/en/programs/phd/admissions in compliance with data privacy laws (privacy is guaranteed).

For the PhDs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance and Statistics and Computer Science:

By 14 March 2025 you will be sent a personal e-mail to the address provided on-line in which information about the outcome of the application will be found.

You will be able to access the on-line procedure using your ID and password, accessing more information, in particular:

• if your status is “with fellowship”, “with tuition waiver” or “with payment of tuition fees”: points awarded, ranking and financial conditions;
• if your status is “in the waiting list”: points awarded and ranking;
• if your status is “not admitted”: points awarded.
   

For the PhDs in Social and Political Science and Legal Studies:

Admission to the interview:

by 20 February 2025 you will be sent a personal e-mail to the address you provided on your on-line application in which you will be informed about your admission to the interview.
You will be able to access the on-line procedure by using your ID and password and find more information, in particular:

• if you have been admitted to the interview: points awarded and ranking;
• if you have not been admitted to the interview: points awarded.

Final ranking:

by 14 March 2025 you will be sent a personal e-mail to the address provided on-line in which information about the final outcome of the application will be found.
You will be able to access the on-line procedure using your ID and password, accessing more information, in particular:

• if your status is “with fellowship”, “with tuition waiver" or "with payment of tuition fees": points awarded, ranking and financial conditions;
• if your status is “in the waiting list”: points awarded and ranking;
• if your status is “not admitted”: points awarded

Bocconi PhD Programs - Handbook (https://www.unibocconi.eu/phds) gives detailed information about:
 

1. fellowships, merit-based tuition waivers (granted for some programs only) and tuition fees;
2. financial aid for PhD students, PhD candidates and fellows (remuneration for research assistantship and teaching assistantship/teaching; budget for study/research activities; financial support after completion of the last official year and for job market placement, ...). 
    

In particular: 
 

1)  With reference to fellowships, merit-based tuition waivers and tuition fees:

Bocconi merit-based fellowships (see Places and financial conditions) are awarded to the best ranked students, in relationship to the number of available fellowships.

Bocconi merit-based fellowships amounts to € 27,000 for year 1 and € 23,000 for year 2 and 3 for the PhD in Legal Studies; year 2, 3 and 4 for all other PhD programs. 
Fellowships can be renewed in the following years if the requirements to be admitted to the following year are met.
 

For study and research activities abroad (at least one month, full months only) authorized by the PhD Program Director, the fellowship is increased by 50% of € 16,243 (ministerial amount), in proportion to the duration of the stay abroad and for a maximum total period of 12 months (saved exceptional cases provided for by the law).
 

Income from the fellowship is tax free. 

The amount of the fellowship is subject to INPS contributions (INPS = National Social Security Institute).
Part of contributions are borne by the University (currently 23,35%) and part by the student (currently 11.68%).
The amount of the student fellowship is gross; the part of contributions borne by the student is directly deducted from each monthly gross installment of the fellowship and transferred to INPS.
 

All PhD students (with fellowship, with tuition waiver and paying students) are required to pay the current annual regional tax of € 140, whose amount may be modified by law at a later date. 
 

Fellowships based on merit and financial conditions are managed by ISU Bocconi (Student Assistance and Financial Aid Center), as per DPCM (Italian Prime Minister Decree) 9 April 2001, without prejudice to further modifications. Applications shall be sent to ISU Bocconi following the 2025-2026 public competition instructions, which will be published at: www.unibocconi.eu/isu

Tuition fees for students without fellowship and without tuition waiver amount to € 15,000 for year 1 and 2 and € 5,000 for year 3 and 4 for the PhDs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, Social and Political Science, Statistics and Computer Science.

They are to be paid as follows:

First and second year  

Third and fourth year:

Tuition fees for students without fellowship and without tuition waiver amount to € 15,000 for year 1 and € 5,000 for year 2 and 3 for the PhD in Legal Studies.

They are to be paid as follows:

First year:

Second and third year:

Bocconi University will not refund the tuition fees paid by students who enrolled and then withdrew; tuition fees will be refunded only to enrolled students who replace a withdrawn student who had been awarded a fellowship or a merit-based tuition waiver. 

2)  With reference to financial aid: 

• PhD students can supplement their income with part time remunerated work for the university; in particular research assistantship from the second year (as an exception, during the first year, subject to Dean’s approval); 
• teaching assistantship /teaching from the second year.

These activities must be previously authorized by the PhD Director, as students are above all committed to their PhD research and activities. 

Moreover:

• for all the PhD programs except Legal Studies: all PhD students (with and without fellowship) are granted a research contract (min 7,000 € and maximum, based on merit, 17,000 €; gross amount) to cover the “PhD candidate period” (from the end of year 4 to thesis dissertation);

       for the PhD in Legal Studies: all PhD students (with and without fellowship) are granted a research contract (max 7,000 €; gross amount) to cover the “PhD candidate period” (from the end of year 3 to thesis dissertation); 

-    in compliance with Italian law, all PhD students (with and without fellowship) are provided with an annual budget (1,650 € per year) for “study and research activities” (the use of the budget is always subject to the Program director approval). 

         The 1^st year budget is earmarked to the acquisition of a laptop that will be given to the student as of the start of the 2^nd year (no return at PhD conferral);

         the budget of the following years (2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th year) is meant to allow the purchase of services and goods to support study and research activities;

• all PhD students (with and without fellowship) are offered by the PhD School a financial support for placement (i.e. travel expenses to relevant events and workshops). The PhD School offers training and procedural support to be successfully placed on the job market (Academia) (PhD students are given the opportunity to attend conferences to present their papers, meet scholars of other universities and participate in job markets events);

• PhD students also benefit from a Health Insurance Policy subscribed by Bocconi which covers accidents when involved in work-related activity at Bocconi and when travelling (the travel must be previously authorized by the Program Director).
   

Please carefully read the Full Official Call in order to get detailed information about the set of rules and guidelines to apply for the PhD you are interested in.

• Download the Full Official Call for the PhD in Business Administration and Management
• Download the Full Official Call for the PhD in Economics and Finance
• Download the Full Official Call for the PhD in Social and Political Science
• Download the Full Official Call for the PhD in Statistics and Computer Science
• Download the Full Official Call for the PhD in Legal Studies

1. How and when do I apply?
You have to apply exclusively through the on-line application procedure which is available here from 1 October, 2024. The deadline for submitting your application is 15 January 2025 at 23:59 CET (3 February 2025 at 23:59 CET for the PhD program in Statistics and Computer Science). This deadline is not negotiable.

Detailed information about the on-line application procedure can be found in the website section Starting your application.

You are allowed to apply for more than one PhD program, using the same ID and password; however, if you apply for more than one program, separate on-line procedures shall be used.
The application is free.
 

2. What are the requirements for application?
Applications can be submitted by candidates of any citizenship who:
- have completed or are completing their graduate studies and 
- have at least a “proven” B2 (CEFR) level of competence in English

Graduate qualifications accepted:
- Italian degrees: second level degrees ("laurea magistrale") 
- non-Italian degrees of equivalent level (eg. level 7, European Qualification Framework), recognized by the Admission Board

Your competence in English must be shown by a recognized international English language certificate/test; in case of international test (TOEFL, IELTS) the result must be still valid (not expired).You will have to upload the English language certificate/test to the on-line application procedure (click here  to check the list of recognized  international certificates/tests and the minimum scores required - at least a B2 (CEFR) level) or, if you do not have a recognized international certificate/test, you will have to self-declare in the online application procedure that you:
- are an English native speaker
- attended a University program in English
- attended a secondary school program in English (please, upload the certificate)
- passed the internal English exam in a Bocconi degree program
- have other reasons (please, specify them).

Applicants whose required Italian or non-Italian degree qualifications are still pending on the final application date can take part in the selection for all PhD programs and will be admitted conditionally. They must be awarded the required degree by 31 October 2025, or their enrollment will be void.
Certifications of required qualifications must be provided by 10 December 2025.

For other information about the requirements for application, see the section Requirements.
 

3. What are the selection criteria?
For the PhD programs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, and Statistics and Computer Science, the assessment is based on a candidate’s: 

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters.

For the PhDs in Economics and Finance and Statistics and Computer Science, the assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

For the PhD in Business Administration and Management, the assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 45 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 20 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 35 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

The Admission Board may decide to conduct a brief online interview in order to get clarification about the student’s qualifications.

A minimum of 60 total points is required to be elegible for admission to all the above PhD programs.

For the PhDs in Social and Political Science and Legal Studies, the Admission Board will first evaluate the suitability of the applicants’ qualifications and, after a first step of selection, the Board will interview some candidates in order to better assess their qualifications (second step of selection).

For the PhD in Social and Political Science, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters.

 The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment.

The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 30 points.

A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment and at least 20 points out of 30 in the interview.

For the PhD in Legal Studies, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (indispensable);
• academic records (indispensable);
• statement of purpose (indispensable);
• research proposal (indispensable);
• up to three reference letters;
• other relevant documents (e.g. thesis’ abstract, publications).

The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose, research proposal and reference letters;
• a maximum of 10 points for other relevant elements.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment.

The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 30 points.

A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment and at least 20 points out of 30 in the interview.

For other information about selection criteria, see the section Selection Criteria.
 

4. What are the documents for the selection?

The following elements are considered:

• Personal curriculum: Full CV (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences);
• Academic records: : transcript of exams and certification of undergraduate (6 EFQ) and graduate (7 EFQ) degrees awarded and final grade (if any); if the graduate program has not been completed*, an enrollment document with the full study plan, the exams taken and the grades achieved;
• International Graduate Admission Tests score:  the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with date and results. These tests are not relevant for the PhD in Legal Studies; IMPORTANT: date of the test: not before 1 October 2019. GMAT/GRE score reports must be uploaded by the candidates in the online procedure; score reports sent to Bocconi University by GMAC Customer Service (GMAT) and ETS (GRE) are not accepted;
• Statement of purpose: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD programs, your research interests and professional goals; only for the PhD in Legal Studies: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD program and of your professional goals;
• Reference letters: up to three reference letters uploaded by referees appointed in the on-line application procedure. Referees can be academic (first best) or non-academic (second best);
• Research proposal (only for the PhD in Legal Studies): detailed description of research proposal coherent with one of the curricular disciplinary fields (see the Short call on the website);
• Other relevant documents (maximum five) (only for the PhD in Legal Studies): e.g. abstract of the thesis, publications, other programs attended, etc. 
   

*Applicants who have not achieved a degree are allowed to apply, but they must obtain the degree by 31 October 2025, or their enrollment will be void.

Documents of the remaining sections (e.g. GRE\GMAT) contribute to increase your score in the final ranking, but they are not indispensable.

For other information about these documents, see the section Documents for Selection. Should you need information about data and/or documents, contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it
 

5. How and when will my referee(s) submit their reference letters?
Your referee(s) will be required to upload their letters by 15 January 2025 (3 February 2025 for the PhD program in Statistics and Computer Science).
You are advised to enter and save referees’ names and e-mail addresses well before the deadline, so the referees will have time to write and upload their letters.
Once you have entered your referees’ names and e-mails, click on SAVE. An automatic e-mail will be sent to the referee e-mail address. Therefore you are required to check the accuracy of the addresses you are providing.
We warmly suggest you to contact your referees to make sure that they received the automatic e-mail and paid due attention.

You can indicate a maximum of three referees and one e-mail address for each referee.

Before submitting data, you are allowed to:
- change the e-mail address(es) of your referee(s);
- add new referee(s) (not exceeding three);
- change the referee(s).

You can access the online procedure to check whether your reference letter(s) have been sent by referee(s) even after application’s submission; this information will be shown in the section “Referees- Contact details” as soon as the referee uploads his/her letter. We invite you to access the on-line procedure again to check.

Please note that:
- as soon as you change a referee, the former referee will be not able to upload anymore (please, contact the former referee in order to inform him/her that you changed the referee);
- as soon as the referee uploads his/her letter, you will not be able to change the referee anymore.
Reference letters are not mandatory but they contribute to increasing your score in the final ranking.

6. How will I be informed about the final result of my application?
Applicants are ranked according to merit.

The ranking of each public competition is published on https://www.unibocconi.it/en/programs/phd/admissions in compliance with data privacy laws (privacy is guaranteed).

By 14 March 2025 you will be sent a personal e-mail to the address provided on-line in which information about the final outcome of the application will be found.

You will be able to access the on-line procedure using your ID and password, accessing more information, in particular:

• if your status is “with fellowship”, “with tuition waiver” or “with payment of tuition fees”: 
  points awarded, ranking and financial conditions;
• if your status is “in the waiting list”: points awarded and ranking
   
• if your status is “not admitted”: points awarded.

Please read carefully the Full Official Call — art. 9 – of the PhD you are interested in for detailed information about the organization of the ranking.
 

7. Can I get financial support if I am admitted?

Bocconi PhD Programs - Handbook (https://www.unibocconi.eu/phds) gives detailed information about:
 

1. fellowships, merit-based tuition waivers (granted for some programs only) and tuition fees;
2. financial aid for PhD students, PhD candidates and fellows (remuneration for research assistantship and teaching assistantship/teaching; budget for study/research activities; financial support after completion of the last official year and for job market placement,...).

In particular:
 

1)  With reference to fellowships, merit-based tuition waivers and tuition fees:

Bocconi merit-based fellowships (see Places and financial conditions) are awarded to the best ranked students, in relationship to the number of available fellowships.
 

The fellowships merit–based amount to € 23,000 per annum.
Fellowships can be renewed in the following years if the requirements to be admitted to the following year are met.
 

For study and research activities abroad (at least one month, full months only) authorized by the PhD Program Director, the fellowship is increased by 50% of € 16,243 (ministerial amount), in proportion to the duration of the stay abroad and for a maximum total period of 12 months (saved exceptional cases provided for by the law).

Income from the fellowship is tax free.

The amount of the fellowship is subject to INPS contributions (INPS = National Social Security Institute).
Part of contributions are borne by the University (currently 23,35%) and part by the student (currently 11.68%).
The amount of the student fellowship is gross; the part of contributions borne by the student is directly deducted from each monthly gross instalment of the fellowship and transferred to INPS.

All PhD students (with fellowship, with tuition waiver and paying students) are required to pay the current annual regional tax of € 140, whose amount may be modified by law at a later date.
 

Fellowships based on merit and financial conditions are managed by ISU Bocconi (Student Assistance and Financial Aid Center), as per DPCM (Italian Prime Minister Decree) 9 April 2001, without prejudice to further modifications. Applications shall be sent to ISU Bocconi following the 2025-2026 public competition instructions, which will be published in due course at: www.unibocconi.eu/isu

Tuition fees for students without fellowship and without tuition waiver amount to:
 

• € 15,000 for year 1 and 2 and € 5,000 for year 3 and 4 for the PhDs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, Social and Political Science, Statistics and Computer Science;
• € 15,000 for year 1 and € 5,000 for year 2 and 3 for the PhD in Legal Studies.
   

2) With reference to financial aid

PhD students may work part time and be paid for the following activities:
 

• research assistantship from the second year (as an exception, during the first year, subject to Dean’s approval); 
   
• teaching assistantship /teaching from the second year.

These activities must be previously authorized by the PhD Director, as students are above all committed to their PhD research and activities. 
 

For other information about the other types of the financial aid, see the section Financial matters.
 

8. Are housing facilities for PhD students provided?
Yes. Please find here some information about housing options provided to Bocconi students.